The present invention relates to an improved package for displaying scissors in a manner which permits manipulation of the scissors by a prospective purchaser at the point of sale without removing the scissors from the package.
In general beauticians and other professional who use scissors in their work have definite likes and dislikes regarding the feel, balance and operation of such implements.
In the past the scissors were fastened to the card in some manner such as by staples or wire loops or clips which was not very satisfactory especially for high quality scissors. A better method of displaying scissors is to enclose them in a transparent plastic blister on card package which envelopes the tool and is provided with eyelets or apertures for placing the package of the hooks on a display rack. Typically in such blister packages it is customary to enclosed scissors within a formed blister made of transparent, stiff, flexible material such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and applied to a display card by heat and/or adhesive means so the customer can view the scissors. As these known blisters completely enclose the scissors, and it is impossible for the purchaser to touch or test the article without opening the blister covering.
Better point of sale blister packaging have been developed for scissors see e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,805 which discloses a blister on card type package for a scissors in which the blister is generally shaped to conform to the shape of the tool. A cut-out portion in the blister permits the one handle of the scissors to be accessed and manipulated and/or tested by a prospective purchaser. However, such conventional blisters on card packages of this type do not permit total visibility of the packaged article, in that the card obstructs one side thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,279,417 issued to Seaton discloses a molded blister type package which permits substantial visibility of a packaged article, while also providing an opening through which a portion of the packaged article may extend for manipulation by a prospective purchaser.
A disadvantage of conventional form-fitting blister packages is that scissors packaged with cut outs for one of the handles therein occurs due to the lubricated pivot areas which can bleed lubricant onto the interior surface of the transparent plastic package, causing an unsightly condition. Heating of the package will cause it to retain heat due to the lack of circulation under the blister, accelerating lubricant bleeding.
This problem of lubrication soil also effects clamshell type blister package for holding and displaying pliers and similar hand tools which encloses the upper portion of the tool while allowing the handles to extend through a lower end thereof. This configuration enables a prospective customer to manipulate the handles to some degree to provide an indication of the operational characteristics of the tool. While such arrangements allow all aspects of tools so packaged to be visible through the package it is restricted to tools that have enlarged heads which can be retained due to the size of the head, whereby the packaging is not suitable for scissors, see e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,551 issued to Theros.